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There’s a lot to know about how to choose wedding professionals that you’ll love.
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A confession: I‘m crazy about getting good customer service. It always has a strong influence on my buying decisions.
A while back I stopped by a Mazda dealership when I was out running errands, ’cause I’m a Miata guy. The new Miata is outstanding, and I’m considering getting one. I made a point of checking what time I got out of my car and started looking at the cars out on the lot, taking bets with myself on how long it would take a salesperson to come out and talk with me. You know what? Nobody ever came out. That impressed me—in a good way—so I decided to go inside and see the Miata with its top down that they had on display in the showroom.
The closest salesperson, Ralph, and I started a conversation after a couple of minutes. He was easy, helpful, and enthusiastic. While it was clearly Ralph’s business to sell cars, there was absolutely no pressure, and no BS.
That’s exactly the kind of customer service I like. When I buy a new Miata, you can be sure that I’m going back to see Ralph.
The wedding world has lots of people in it who are just like Ralph, and lots who aren’t.
Paying Attention
Ralph listened to me. He heard what was important to me. We communicated well, and easily. He told me about his son’s Miata, a car a year older than mine. When I expressed interest in the source and quality of its new paint job, he pulled out his phone to show me photographs of his son’s Miata.
If you asked me how Ralph was dressed, I couldn’t tell you, but I remember that it was appropriate to the situation. He was clean, neat, and presented well. I felt comfortable in his presence.
I had the sense that Ralph knew his business. While our conversation didn’t take us deep into his professional competence, I’d be really surprised if he failed on that point.
I imagine that you’re getting by now that I liked Ralph, and that I would have confidence working with him on buying a new Miata.
Things That Matter
The best wedding professionals are just like Ralph. They’ll listen to you, understand what you do and don’t want, and give you good, informed guidance.
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Dress For Success
And by the way, like Ralph, how they dress for meeting with you and for working at your wedding carries weight and meaning.
The meeting is about making you comfortable while conveying that they respect the client-professional relationship. Do they dress like they understand that? To paraphrase Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, I can’t describe it, but I know when I see it.
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Working at your wedding calls for looking neat and professional and generally blending into the background. Wedding professionals tend to favor black for those reasons.
Professional Qualifications
But all of the enthusiasm and listening and sartorial splendor doesn’t mean a thing if they don’t have the technical skills to do the job. How did they come to their position? Were they school-trained? Did they work under other experienced professionals?
I like to know how many years the individual and the company have been in the business. How well are they grounded in the business? Do they have solid experience. Do they have relationships within the wedding industry that will serve you?
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Show and Tell
How well do they present photographs or video of themselves at work, or their product on display? The care they take to do that says a lot about the care that they will take of you, at your wedding.
I like to see their tools of the trade, either in person or in photographs of them in action. How does their equipment look? Clean and well kept? Professional? While the “stuff” doesn’t tell the whole story, it tells a lot.
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Liability Insurance
Every professional and every business in the wedding industry, including venues, caterers, DJs, bands, musicians, photographers, videographers, cake bakers, and planners, should have liability insurance. That’s the kind of insurance that protects you and your guests should someone be injured or if something is broken or damaged.
Coverage is easy to verify: ask them to have their insurance agent send you a certificate of liability insurance. You can get it on paper or via e-mail. It costs them nothing to send it, and gives you peace of mind, now and later.
Consider the lack of liability insurance to be a deal killer. If they’re not serious about protecting you, their guests, and themselves, walk away.
Look For Real
As in the sales part of the automobile industry, the barriers to entry in many parts of the wedding industry are low. It takes some effort to distinguish the people who know their business and know how to take care of clients from those who are faking it until they make it.
Seeing Beyond The Window Dressing
It really doesn’t matter what people do in their spare time or what kind of pets they have or what their favorite drink is or whether they have spouses or children or how much they love what they do. What does matter is whether they can do their job well and take good care of you and your wedding. Ask the hard questions, listen to the answers, and look for the Ralphs, who have all of what it takes to bring a complete professional experience to the experience of your wedding.
That’s how to choose Baltimore, Maryland wedding professionals you’ll love!
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Chase Court owner David Egan has lived and breathed weddings for 22+ years! That means you get the knowledge, resources, and attention of a venue owner who has helped plan and execute over 900 weddings.
Visit chasecourt.com and follow @ChaseCourtWeddingVenue on Instagram, and check out our videos on YouTube!